After the Minister of Hacienda, Donald Guerrero, said that it was impossible to lower the taxes on fuels because this would cut into important government revenues, the representatives of the different trucking associations threatened to withdraw from the talks with the government. The ministries of Industry & Commerce and Hacienda are studying three fundamental areas: the taxes as established by different laws; the margins of benefit for the sale and distribution of fuels, and the formula that is applied by the government (and communicated by the Ministry of Industry & Commerce) to set the price of fuels every week.
The president of the National Federation of Dominican Transport (Fenatrado), Ricardo de los Santos, called the government decision “irresponsible, inopportune and inappropriate”, and said that the decision worked against the government itself.
De los Santos, who is a legislator for the Modern Revolutionary Party (PRM), advocated for amendments to the Hydrocarbon Law 112-00. He said that depending on what happens at the next meeting, the truckers will decide on their next moves.
At his side, Antonio Marte, the president of the National Confederation of Transportation Organizations (CONATRA) warned that transporters are united in their quest for lower fuel prices.
Meanwhile, Circe Almanzar, executive vice president for the Dominican Republic Association of Industries (AIRD) said that industries and businesses are making investments to reduce and eventually eliminate their reliance on trucking associations over the next few years. Claiming that with compliance from the government, the trucking associations still hold a virtual monopoly over cargo and passenger transport. Almanzar made these observations to the press during the “Sustainable Earnings 2018” meeting.
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8 October 2018
